TOWIE legend Gemma Collins opens up about her Christmas plans with boyfriend James 'Arg' Argent
She’s one of the most extra stars on the celebrity circuit, never spotted without a face full of glamorous make up, a sequin-clad outfit and a big bouncy blow dry.
But Gemma Collins says that Christmas – her “favourite time of year” - is where she really comes into her own and she goes even more OTT during the festive season.
The bubbly blonde says that she started preparing for Christmas day in November and that her boyfriend James ‘Arg’ Argent shares her enthusiasm.
Gemma tells Closer, “I am absolutely Christmas crazy. My tree was put up more than a month ago and I’ve decorated it with pink. I told James I’d gone pink mad with the Christmas tree and that it was very OTT and girlie - but when he came home he absolutely loved it!
“Christmas is my favourite time of year. It’s about family, friends and food and I can’t wait. Me and my family are going to Arg’s house for the day. I can’t wait.”
Gemma has been dating Arg for a year, after first hooking up in 2012, and the pair have gone from strength to strength, moving in together this year.
And Gemma says that she’d love a proposal from Arg at Christmas – as the pair will be spending the day together with both of their families – and adds that if they were to get engaged, she’d love to have two weddings.
She reveals, “I can absolutely see myself marrying James. I am an absolute romantic. If I was to get married, I would have a secret ceremony first, a small and intimate wedding with real love in the room. I don’t think I’d have any bridesmaids either - the day would all be about me! I’d want to get married on my own with my two nephews and that’s it. I’m in the spotlight every day with the cameras on me, and I wouldn’t want my real wedding to be a show and a hype with hundreds of people. I would do one of those after the first wedding for the world to see.
“I'd love him to sing our song at our wedding. It’s Fred Astaire's Cheek to Cheek. It’s very old fashioned and beautiful. James first sang it to me six years ago in Turkey. He’s not stopped singing it to me since.”
CHECK OUT axed TOWIE stars - where are they now?
CLOSER axed TOWIE stars - where are they now Harry head
1 of 26Harry Derbridge, series 1- 3 and 12
Harry Derbridge was a Towie original and still holds a very special place in our hearts. He made a welcome return to the show as Bobby Norris's love interest but, allegedly, cheated on him.
2 of 26Harry Derbridge, 2018
Harry now works it as a make-up artist. Is it us, or does he look like he might have had a little help with lip fillers?
3 of 26Maria Fowler, series 1 - 3
Maria, on the left with Joey Essex and Chloe Sims in 2011, was in the show from the get-go but her TV career was rocked when it was alleged she'd worked as an escort. She's since said she quit 'by mutual consent' after she refused an on-screen romance with Mick Norcross.
4 of 26Maria Fowler, 2018
Maria's now a proud mummy, engaged to be married and a self-proclaimed permanent make-up artist.
5 of 26Dan Osborne, series 8 - 14
Dan Osborne, pictured here with James Argent in 2013, managed seven series on the show. He was given the boot after a series of recordings, claiming to show Dan being verbally abusive towards his ex-girlfriend Megan Tomlin, came to light.
6 of 26Dan Osborne, 2018
Dan is still in the spotlight due to his relationship with ex-EastEnders star Jacqueline Jossa. In May 2018 he described their marriage as "unhappy".
7 of 26Amber Dowding, series 18 - 21
Amber was part of a mega cull of seven Towie characters in January 2018. She claimed that she and her boyfriend Chris Clark were cut because they were happy. They've now split and Chris has reappeared on the show.
8 of 26Amber Dowding, 2018
If Amber's social media is anything to go by, she now appears to mostly be on holiday. Pretty goals from where we're sitting.
9 of 26Mike Hassini, series 16 - 18 and 21
Mike Hassini brought a hot bod to Towie and...not much else. He was cut in January 2018 due to a lack of storylines as he was loved-up outside the telly show.
10 of 26Mike Hassini, 2018
Mike is working as a PT, still loved-up, and still has a very hot bod. He has subsequently appeared briefly in gym scenes on the show.
11 of 26Jack Rigden, series 20 - 21
Jack Rigden tried hard, so hard, to make an impression on Towie but his lack of on-screen romance and agg saw him get very little camera time. He was part of the big cull of January 2018.
12 of 26Jack Rigden, 2018
Jack's Instagram bio describes him as an "absolute geezer". Which is nice.
13 of 26Jordan Brook, series 20 - 21
Jordan and Jack were brought in as friends of Megan McKenna. When she quit, they were left without any storylines.
14 of 26Jordan Brooks, 2018
Jordan is now dating Sofia Filipe of Ex On The Beach fame. Aww.
15 of 26Ricky Rayment, series 4 - 14
We still think very fondly of Ricky. His rocky relationship with Jess Wright was a huge part of the show but when they finally broke up, well... Ricky left the show "by mutual agreement"with Towie bosses.
16 of 26Ricky Rayment, 2018
Ricky now seems to mainly go fishing.
17 of 26Tom Pearce, series 5 - 13
Remember when Tom Pearce dated Lauren Goodger following her split from Mark Wright? That was an odd time. He was quietly shown the back doorof the show in 2014.
18 of 26Tom Pearce, 2018
Honestly? We're not 100% sure what Tom is actually doing these days. He used to work in the City, and his holidays certainly look pretty epic, so maybe that.
19 of 26Grace Andrews, series 11 - 12
Grace almost had a romantic relationship with Lewis Bloor (shudder) and that was the beginning and end of her time on Towie.
20 of 26Grace Andrews, 2018
Grace is now involved in a semi-permanent make-up company. Those Towie stars must really hate cleanser.
21 of 26Fran Parman, series 11 - 16
Fran's original romantic interest was Tom Pearce but he stepped aside to allow Diags to woo her. Bad luck. Their relationship was turbulent but apparently not turbulent enough for show producers. Diags stayed, she went.
22 of 26Fran Parman, 2018
Fran and Diags split and she now hangs out in clothing that does not look very practical.
23 of 26Jasmin Walia, series 1 and 7-17
Jasmin managed eight series until she was given the boot. In 2015 her agent stated: "TOWIE is very storyline dependent and Jasmin did not have much going on that we could show on screen."Ouch. She went on to audition for The X Factor. It did not go well. She also took part in reality show Desi Rascals, that lasted for one series.
24 of 26Jasmin Walia, 2018
Jasmin is still being papped, which is more than can be said for some of the other ex-Towie stars.
25 of 26Jake Hall, series 14 - 17
Jake's time of TOWIE was mainly characterised by him being mean to our sweet Essex princess Chloe Lewis including many accusations of infidelity, plus rumours he'd slept with Megan McKenna.
26 of 26Jake Hall, 2018
Jake subsequently became engaged to former Real Housewives of Cheshire star Misse Beqiri. They have a baby together but in December 2018Jake was given a restraining order following a bust up with his fiancée.
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Next year will get off to an exciting start for Gemma – celeb talent show Dancing on Ice starts in January and Gemma is one of the most hotly anticipated contestants.
And Gemma adds that she’s loving that her intense ice-skating training schedule has seen her drop a dress size – and says that she’s hoping to stay in the competition until the end so she can lose more.
She says, “I’ve definitely lost weight off my legs and stuff. When I come in from training, I am so tired and only have dinner so I have been eating once a day and you lose a bit like that too. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t got on the scales so I don’t know what I’ve lost.
“If I stay in the competition, I’ll be on Dancing on Ice until March, so I will definitely lose more by then.”